Evolution Of VAST Over The years & Key Difference Between Its Versions Such As VAST 2.0, VAST 3.0 & VAST 4.0

Over the years , Online advertising is moving from display to video , And Video ad spending is increasing.As per recent report from eMarketer Digital Video Advertising to Grow at Annual Double-Digit Rates US digital video ad spending will continue to grow at a pace that exceeds TV advertising growth through 2020.– See more

There are four versions of VAST released by IAB, first version which is released in 2008 was first of its kind and which start the process of standardization of Video serving template.

Various kind of update were made over the years from increasing the reporting,tracking to advancement of the functionality with different types of file support.

In the latest version VAST 4.0, new functionality which is know as ad stitching or server side stitching is introduced which will help publisher to run bypass the ad blocker.

Before understanding all different format Of VAST , Please read all terminology used in below table:

Video Ad-Serving Template (VAST) :A universal protocol for serving in-stream videoads, permitting ad servers to use a single ad response format across multiple compliantpublishers/video playersVideo Player-Ad Interface Definition (VPAID) : A method of communication between the ad itself and the Video player in which it is displayed. Thiscommunication is important because both Linear and Non-Linear video ads can be interactive, and such userinteraction will generally affect the activity of the Video player. For example, when a user clicks on an overlay adthe user may be presented with more information about the advertiser, while the video content is expected topause. Currently, each publisher and technology vendor has implemented this type of communication in a nonstandardizedway, resulting in additional work for all parties when bringing campaigns live.

Companion Ad: Commonly text, display ads, rich media, or skins that wrap around the videoexperience. These ads come in a number of sizes and shapes and typically run alongside orsurrounding the video player.InLine Ad: VAST document that includes all the elements necessary to display the visual experience of the ad.Linear Video Ad: The ad is presented before, in the middle of, or after the video content isconsumed by the user, in very much the same way a TV commercial can play before, during orafter the chosen program.Non-linear Video Ad: The ad runs concurrently with the video content so the users see the ad while viewing thecontent. Non-linear video ads can be delivered as text, graphical ads, or as video overlays.Primary Ad Server: First ad serving system called by the Video Player or other framework. It is assumed that in mostcases a publisher will make all initial ad requests through their Primary Ad Server (whether homegrown or third party), thenredirect to other ad severs as needed.Secondary Ad Server: Ad server used by an ad network or by the buyer of ads to serve creative, track results andoptimize creatives.

Wrapper Ad: VAST document that points to another VAST document from a different server.

Note: mezzanine file is very large and cannot be used for ad display, but ad-stitching services and other ad vendor use it to generate files at appropriate quality levels for the environment in which they play.

Note: With Each version VAST is upgrade with additional functionality so if in previous version of VAST something is supported or present it means it will by default supported or present.